Two, two, two plays at once
So. I'm doing two plays right now. One is a one-act that will be part of a one-night event. "The Philadelphia," which is pretty darn hilarious. I kinda wish I had the opportunity to play with a NY accent for it, but I tried that while running lines with Geo (he's also in it), and he picked it up when he's supposed to be "in a Los Angeles." Also, the director has not indicated that she wants a NY accent, so I don't think I'm going to be doing one.
The bigger challenge is that I have three weeks (give or take) to learn the role of Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town. Yikes! There's a lot to that role, as well as a lot of miming actions without props, so I'm going to have to set goals for myself. I'd like to be off-book for Act I by Monday. We shall see.
The thing about the Mrs. Gibbs role is that I won't have to look very far for inspiration. The role is kinda me. I'm usually (though not always) cast in the "mom" role. And I've got a few scenes with a "son." (I find it interesting that I was cast as the mother of the boy in the central romantic arc, as whenever I picture myself with children, it's usually with boys.) And the young man who is playing my son (the character, incidentally, is named George--not to be confuse with my own George, of course), seems like a sweet kid. After rehearsal on Wednesday, he came up to me an introduced himself. I introduced myself, and told him he didn't have to call me "Mrs." Heh. When the director introduced us to the cast at read-through, he introduced us as "Mr. and Mrs." I leaned over to George and said, "We're Mr. and Mrs." It just feels so weird, because I'm used to working with my castmates as peers (regardless of age), with the differentiation being more along the lines of experience rather than age. Well, except in the case of children. Anyway.
After "George" introduced himself, he said, "You're really good. What other play are you doing?" I think I'm going to enjoy working with him. I've not yet had the chance to work with the girl who's going to play my daughter. The guy playing my husband was typecast along with me. Geo is playing Dr. Gibbs. So, you know. Any resemblance to actual persons and relationships is completely accurate.
I mentioned to "George" (my stage son) that the schedule was making me a little nervous. He said he'd done six shows with this director and assured me that the shows always fall together. I hope so. Oy.
Anyway, as those of you who follow this LJ know, I've often gone on and on about how Jensen is an inspiration to me, especially when it comes to making awkward dialogue work. Well, this time, I'm working with well-written, time tested dialogue. Thornton Wilder. Woo hoo! The character won't be much of a stretch for me. And what little interaction I've had with the cast seems like it should be fun. The kids seem like good kids.
This time, my encouragement comes in the form of a comment from my Tech Guy who played "Mack" in The Threepenny Opera. I've got a soft spot in my heart for that guy. He was always very encouraging in his own unique way. So when he replied to a FB status, that kinda made my day. Seriously. Just thinking about working with him in 3PO makes me smile.
So, hey. If anyone is in the area July 8 or 9, let me know, and I'll give you specifics regarding the show.